Compromise joint



Nov. 28, 1950 T. G. THONGER COMPROMISE JOINT Filed Dec. 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. N Thyrland G. Tlwuger.

Npv. 28, 1950 T. G. THONGER COMPROMISE JOINT Filed Dec. 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \J i l v H I I), I

e :1 U A e Patented Nov. 28, 1950 COMPRQMISE' JOINT Thurland G. Thonger, Manhasset, N. Y., assignor to Poor and Company, Chicago, 111., a, corporation of Delaware Application December 24., 1947, Serial No. 793,674

6 Claims.

This invention relates to railwjoints, andmore particularly to an improvement in compromise joints, or step joints as they are familiarly known in the industry.

Joints of the type referred to are intended to connect dissimilar rails, usually rails of difierent weights and consequently difierent cross section and strength. The transfer of wheel loads from the strongerrail to the weaker rail therefore requires special consideration to be given to the construction at the central portion of the joint bars, adjacent the rail ends, more adequately to support the weaker rail, to transfer stresses and to insure vertical stifiness at the junction of the rails. In other words, in a compromise joint, the stress pattern developed in the bar under load goes through an abrupt change at the middle of the bars and primary consideration must be given to directingstress from the low rail to the high rail.

The previoustendency in the art, to provide for the conditions above set forth in joints of this type, has been to add a mass of metal at the center of the bar, but, aside from being uneconomical from the standpoint of using an unnecessary bulk of metal, this practice has produced poor quality castings for the reason that it is difiicult to cool properly at the center where the mass of metal is greatest.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a joint bar construction which utilizes a minimum amount of material as compared with step joints now in general use, and provides a relatively thin strut at the center of the bars which lies outwardly of the vertical plane of the head and base portions of the bar, as well as substantially, if not entirely, beyond the vertical limits of the rail, the said strut being disposed obliquely of the rail-end portion, not only to provide much stronger joint bars, but to also provide bars which may be more readily and satisfactorily cast, while at the same time, resulting in greater homogeneity of the metal, which, because of its novel distribution, tends to cool more uniformly throughout. In that connection, it may be pointed out that the oblique or diagonal strut places a maximum amount of effective metal in the region of greatest stress without resorting to heavy bulking of material while insuring transfer of the rolling load from the head of the Weaker rail directly to the base of the stronger rail in a thoroughly practical and efficient manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a joint bar construction wherein the effectiveness of the diagonal strut is supplemented by outwardly extending flange portions at the top and bottom of the bar and a vertical flange projecting from the base of the strut and the foot of the bar which fits the stronger rail, said flange lying below the base of the weaker rail to serve as a cantilever to strengthen the weaker member or low rail bar at the point of maximum change in the stress pattern.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of dissimilar rail ends connected by joint bars of the type dis-closed herein.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the medial or central portion of one of the joint bars applied to dissimilar rail ends.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

As will be observed from Figure 1, the dissimilar rails are respectively designated as A and B, the former being the low or weaker rail, and the latter being the higher or stronger rail. The joint barsare respectively designated as C and C, and in the example shown are of the conventional head-free type and appropriate cross section. It will, of course, be understood that the present improvements may beapplied to a joint bar of any given cross sectional shape, but the head-free type of toeless bar illustrated in the drawings lends itself particularly to the present improvements.

The joint bars C and C are of similar construction, and therefore a description of one will sufiice for the other. In that connection, however, it will of course be understood that the bars vary somewhat in cross-sectional shape, depending on whether or not they are used as rights or lefts, meaning that one bar is intended to fit the gauge side of the rails to bring the heads thereof into gauge alinement, while the other bar is made to compensate for the difference in the cross sections of the two rails to be connected. In any event, the joint bars include web portions 1 and 1*, head portions 2 and 2 and foot portions 3 and 3 and the parts I, 2, 3, form what may be termed the low end portion of the bar, while the parts l 2, 3 form the high end portion of the bar.

The medial or central portions of each bar are provided with a diagonally or obliquely disposed strut 4 which, as will be observed from Figure 2, crosses or spans the gap between the ends of the rails A and 'B, As will be observed from the drawings, the said strut 4 is formed in the nature of a thin fin-like member and projects beyond the outer face of the web portions I and l The top of the strut is connected by the fillet 5 with a laterally projecting top flange portion 6. The lower portion of the strut is connected to a bottom flange including sections disposed at difierent levels to correspond with the difference in levels of the foot portions of the bar. To that end, the medial portion of the strut 4 is joined by a fillet l with the substantially horizontal flange section 8 extending longitudinally of and outwardly from the inner end portion of the base or foot 3 oi the bar which fits the fishing space of the weaker or low rail A. The front of the section 8 is connected with the foot 3 of the bar by the tapered web 8 The portion of the strut 4 which lies below the fillet 'l is also connected with a vertically disposed flange section or web 9 projecting forwardly from the horizontal flange section H? or the foot 3 of the bar which fits the stronger rail, thereby to provide a cantilever to strengthen the weaker member or low rail portion of the bar at the point of maximum change in the stress pattern. The lower portion of the strut 4 is connected by the fillet l l with the horizontally disposed flange section iii of the foot 3 of the bar fitting the stronger rail, the said section it extending longitudinally of and outwardly from the inner end portion of the base of the high end portion of the bar and being tapered or otherwise connected directly with the foot 3 of the bar, as indicated at 12.

As will also be observed from Figure 4, the inner face of the bars C and C may be provided with an inner strut 4*, similar to the outer strut 4, when desired, the said inner diagonally disposed strut being parallel to the outer strut and operating in conjunction therewith to augment the capacity of the bar to carry the stress from the Weaker to the stronger member, when the occasion arises for such additional strength, as for example, where the diiierential in the rails to be connected is great enough to warrant additional strength and support to maintain the connected rail ends vertically stiii" at the center of the joint.

From the foregoing, it is believed that it will be seen that the present invention provides a step joint having a central reinforcement in the nature of a relatively thin fin-like diagonal strut which lies substantially beyond the normal plane of the outer edges of the bars, and with its connected fin-like top and bottom flanges, provides,

in conjunction with the central portion of the bars, a strong and effective support for directing stress from the low or weaker rail to the higher or stronger rail with a minimum amount of metal which accomplishes the object heretofore set forth.

When the rolling load passes from the larger or stronger rail to the smaller or weaker rail, it will be seen that the initial load is transferred back to the stronger rail through the strut and its associated top and bottom flanges. On the other hand, when the rolling load moves from the weaker rail to the stronger rail, the said weaker rail, near its end, will be provided with adequate support and stiffness due to the fact (iii that the load is transferred from the weaker rail to the stronger rail through the strut, thereby adapting the joint to universal trafiic in a practical and efficient manner.

I claim:

1. A compromise splice bar for connecting rails of different heights, said bar comprising high and low end portions formed to fit the fishing spaces of the high and the low rails, respectively, and each including a head, a web and a base, a flange extending longitudinally of and outwardly from the inner end portion of the base of the high end portion of said bar, a fin at the outer side of the bar integral with the webs of said high and low end portions of the bar joined at its lower end to said flange and extending from the latter diagonally across the medial portion of the bar to the inner end portion of the headof the low end portion of the bar and joined at its upper end to the latter, a flange extending longi-' tudinally of and outwardly from the inner end portion of the base of the low end portion of the bar and joined to said fin, and a vertical flange extending downwardly from said second mentioned flange and joined to said fin.

2. A compromise splice bar as set forth in claim 1 in which the vertical flange is substantially coextensive in length with the second mentioned flange and extends downwardly from the outer edge of the latter.

3. A compromise splice bar for connecting rails 01' different heights, said bar comprising high and low end portions formed to fit the fishing spaces of the high and low rails, respectively, and each including a head, a web and a base, a flange extending longitudinally of and outwardly from the inner end portions of the heads of said end portions of the bar, a flange extending longitudinally of and outwardly from the inner end portion of the base of the high end portion of the bar, a fin at the outer side of the bar integral with the webs of said high and low end portions of the bar joined at its lower end to said second mentioned flange and extending from the latter diagonally across the medial portion of the bar toward, and joined at its upper end to, the portion of said first mentioned flange which extends from the low end portion of the bar, a flange extending longitudinally of and outwardly from the inner end portion of the base of the low end portion of the bar and joined to said fin, and a vertical flange extending downwardly from said last mentioned flange and joined to said fin.

4. A compromise splice bar as set forth in claim 3 in which the vertical flange is substantially coextensive in length with the third mentioned flange and extends downwardly from the outer edge of the latter.

5. A compromise splice bar as set forth in claim 1 including a fin at the inner side of the bar alined with the fin at the outer side of the bar.

6. A compromise splice bar as set forth in claim 3 including a fin at the inner side of the bar alined with the fin at the outer side of the bar.

THURLAND G. THONGER.

REFERENCES CITED Zhe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,663,619 Armstrong Mar. 2'7, 1928. 1,781,433 Braine Nov. 11, 1930 2,100,9ei7 Disbrow un-"F"- Nov. 30, 1937' 

